Which scenarios do you like/don't like?

[Triforcer]

As a Squig Herder (and only having T1/T2 experience):

Dwarf/Greenskin:

Ekrund:  mildly displeasing.  Since few people make the trek to another pairing at such early levels, you have two sides with no MDPS facing each other across two ledges over the central flag.  This leads to the tanks dueling it out in the middle while unassailable healers heal them.  I've been in Ekrund scenarios where there were like 10 total deaths the whole time.  Plus, tight, narrow quarters and lack of RDPS escape mechanisms make this tank heaven. 

Mourkain Temple:  Sucks diseased donkey cock.  Words cannot describe how fucking bad this scenario is.  There is one murderball, and once you get it, all you have to do is hold it.  This means that the person that gets it sprints back to right outside the starting area, and his zerg gets in front of him.  There is no strategy, no opportunity for flanking, no division of forces, nothing--- the murderball holder just has a dedicated healer, and the two zergs fight it out (and as an extra special bonus, since they are right by their own starting area, even killing someone doesn't help break the zerg).  Honestly, how did nobody see this playing out the way it does?  They need to make it so the murderball holder has to stay in a certain area in the middle of the zone.  Make it big, but make it accessible from all sides, riddled with warrens, at least give the team that didn't get the ball right at the beginning a fucking chance.

Empire/Chaos:

Nordenwatch:  Really, really fun.  Strategy, good places to hide, opportunity to flank or send a surprise force somewhere, etc.  I really was sad when I leveled out of playing here.

Stonetroll crossing:  Simply awesome.  An innovative mechanic (running to three different points on a fairly tight timer, one major combat snarl midstream and you probably won't make it) and the attacking team has to choose between just following the holder around and holding the center point for the pacifier respawn.  Lots of fun.  Lots of opportunities for my AOE root and knockback to make a real difference---I really felt heroic when five guys were chasing the pacifier holder, just out of his range, and I rooted them all for long enough for my guy to escape to the flag. 

Elf/DE:  Does this pairing even exist?  Do the tumbleweeds negatively effect framerate? 


Moral of the story:  Its strange that if Mythic wanted the Dwarf/Greenskin zones to be used (and this would be the least popular pairing anyway), they would choose to put both of the two worst scenarios in there.

[Paelos]

The second Greenskin scenario is awful, I do agree with that. I think Gates of Ekrund is superior to Nordenwatch though. Nordenwatch feels way too spread out and there isn't enough mass action that keys on all the nodes. It just feels too big to me for an early scenario. Ekrund on the other hand is the very definition of instant action. There's 3 closely connected nodes that all get action at all points in the game, and I think there are many more opportunities to steal a node from a team that's overly focused on the center.

[Zetor]

I like Nordenwatch better, but played it so many freakin' times since the earlier phases of closed beta that I still play Ekrund whenever possible.

Khaine's Embrace (t1 elf scenario) has some decent ideas (need to guard nodes, communicate with early inc calls, ninja stuff when possible, know where to run to not get toasted by the explosion), but those same ideas make it a complete nightmare to pug.


-- Z.

[Numtini]

Stonetroll crossing

I agree completely. It's just a fantastic idea and I think the terrain suits it well.

Nordenwatch I like, but for whatever reason Order is just crushing us (Sea of Malice) on this one. (And nowhere else.) It has a heavy stupid factor. I can tell within 20 seconds if we're going to win or not by whether a few people head off to the lighthouse instead of zerging the middle.

I haven't really had a chance to play much else. Queuing in groups seems to slow everything down. Is there some way to queue for another region's scenarios without being there?

[Sjofn]

As a tank, I fuckin' love Ekrund.  The healers up on the ledge aren't actually unassailable, although runepriests are so hard to kill if they don't want to be killed, I can't say I'm surprised people don't bother. Still, I got to tank the entire Destruction team on my ironbreaker at one point, highlight of my week.

Nordenwatch is meh. Like Numtini, I can tell real early if we're going to lose or not, and usually we are. I've played this one mostly as a witch hunter though.

Khaine's Embrace I hate, because I've pugged that one every time, and every time we get our asses kicked 500-8 or so.

[schild]

Murderball is the only 2nd Tier scenario that is even worth playing. Period.

Whoever designed the other 2 (and Khaine's Embrace for that matter) should be fucking ashamed.

[Triforcer]

Murderball is the only 2nd Tier scenario that is even worth playing. Period.

Whoever designed the other 2 (and Khaine's Embrace for that matter) should be fucking ashamed.

Murderball (at least the Mourkain variation, haven't done anything T3-T4) is just an inferior version of keep pvp- its two keep zergs sans siege weaponry and strategy (since in real keep pvp, defenders don't automatically respawn in the keep, whereas the murderball holder's team only have to move 10 feet to rejoin the zerg).

If I want keep pvp, I do keep pvp.  Scenarios are much better suited for smaller engagements necessitated by division of force.  Have you ever played a Mourkain that didn't work out exactly like I described above?  In every single one I played, the first team to get the artifact won. 

[Miasma]

In tier one I like gates of Ekrund, lots of close fighting with the opportunity to steal flags.  Nordenwatch is okay but frustrating if people don't know to head to the middle flag and to fight on the flag.  The elf one is quite hard to get into because there aren't many playing it but the explosions seem a bit much.

Tier two is a mess.  The elf one is completely useless, it's like the people who made it didn't even try to play it.  I imagine it only actually reaches the "first to 500" endgame about once in twenty plays, you have to wait for the timer to expire really.  Stonetroll crossing is buggy (all those false notices of it resetting, the flag carrier often not glowing, multiple people glowing)  and takes way too long to do.  As mentioned the only one worth playing is Mourkain temple, it usually takes less than ten minutes, awards good xp and renown and since everyone now knows this the queue time is almost non existant.  I mean worth playing in terms of levelling though, as Tri said the scenario itself leaves much to be desired, the flag holder should be much more vulnerable or when they die from the murderball part the artifact should respawn at the temple.  The way it is now when the murder part finally happens someone from the same side just picks it up at their feet.  Basically whoever gets the flag at the beginning wins.

Also, being able to use mounts in the scenarios is retarded.  Maybe in Tier three and four when everyone has them would be fine but having level twenties running around on mounts while all the 12-19s can't do anything is absurd, especially since all three damn scenarios are capture the flag based.

I also swear to God that destruction starts closer to Mourkain temple than order.

[Miasma]

I just had to log off in frustration because destruction keeps getting the artifact first and the initial artifact holding team can't be beaten unless the holder is an idiot who charges into battle.  And here's how little annoying things like the eula can drive someone to quit - I'm already pissed off at a poorly designed scenario and when I go to logout they force me to remain in game for twenty seconds instead of giving me an option to "quit now" and let my toon go undefended in game for that time.  Fuck right off, that mild annoyance seems a thousand times worse than it is when you're already trying to log out in disgust.

So does clicking that fucking eula everytime I have to log back in from a crash, bonus anger if there is a queue I have to wait for.

Fuck off and die.

[Khaldun]

So far I can't even get a Stonetroll Crossing scenario yet. Was in the queue for it for three hours today, no pop. Nordenwatch is still going off every ten minutes on my server, but I levelled out of it. (You don't chicken in the middle if you hit a new tier, btw.)

[XMackenzie]

I like both the Tier 1 and 2 dwarf (Eklund gates and Mourkain temple) ones the best.  What I like best is that although I've only been playing a short time I've managed to play 6 different battlegrounds in the span of a week. As opposed to 4 for 2.5 years of WoW.  It is seriously possible to level in PVP thus far.

Would be nice if they provided a way to multi-queue to other pairing scenarios.  I like that it drops you from queues as you get into the scenarios - avoids the crazy BG hopping.  Also like the inforced timelimits (I'm looking at you WSG).

Will need to see how the higher tiers play out as far as queue times with a bit more spread out population.  Also how the lower levels scenarios will stand up to smaller low level populations down the road.   

[Ingmar]

So far I can't even get a Stonetroll Crossing scenario yet. Was in the queue for it for three hours today, no pop. Nordenwatch is still going off every ten minutes on my server, but I levelled out of it. (You don't chicken in the middle if you hit a new tier, btw.)

Yeah, that only happens in world PVP.

[amiable]

I think the only problem with murderball in tier 2 is that the initial ball carrier takes increasing damage for holding the ball but subsequent carriers do not.  They should make all carriers take damage, forcing the ball to drop on a regular basis.

[kildorn]

The issue with murderball is that the increasing damage caps out low enough that a single healer can keep someone up just with HoTs with the ball.

Even with that, murderball is the only worthwhile t2 scenario.

When making a PVP arena, ask yourself "is the objective of this game type to get into a fight, or avoid a fight". Stonetroll falls into the latter: you win the game by avoiding fights. You don't kill the people chasing the runner, you win by AE rooting them. Murderball forces fights. Even if most of them are near one side's spawn. And it's entirely possible to win without holding the ball if they really ball up in a little defensive clump.

But even if I lose murderball, I still feel like it was a fun couple of minutes, because I got to beat on people. I can spend an entire stonetroll doing nothing but cleansing roots.

[Falwell]

T1:

All 3 are serviceable, but I prefer Khaine's Embrace.

T2:

STC is a straight up cesspool. Phoenix gate is good, but it always runs to the timer. Temple is far and away my fave at T2.

That's all the ones I've been in so far.

[Khaldun]

Given that this is a game that depends on RvR, I have to say that most of these scenarios are not great. One or two of them I just wonder what on earth the designer was thinking: they're kind of unfixable. I did three STCs last night, didn't try it in beta, and they were all miserable, unfun experiences.

[Sobelius]

Gates of Ekrund, on the Destruction side, has a little-used mechanic to get to the gate switch. You can run to two catapults and be fired over the walls onto the gate switch. You don't get there faster than running, but you do get to do it in style.

[Khaldun]

I finally had a great STC experience last night. It really takes two coordinated groups for it to feel like an exciting scenario. Otherwise it's just a murky, confusing experience.

[trias_e]

I suppose I'm in the minority, but I feel like the T1 and T2 elf scenarios >> T1 and T2 dwarf scenarios >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> T1 and T2 human scenarios

I've never been in a competitive stone troll crossing match.  I truly hate that map.  The concept seems cool enough, but the execution is just terrible.  Nordenwatch is just a shitty version of arathi basin with more boredom and spawn camping.  Too much running if you want to flank the zerg, which usually ends up in failure because you are directly next to the other sides spawn.

Gates of Ekrund is 100% action and lots of fun.  I never got tired of it with any class I played.  Mourkain is solid but is the most simplistic of any scenario by far, which ruins its replay value.

Khaine's Embrace is BY FAR the best scenario in either T1 or T2, and it's not even close.  It's a fast paced blast (hur hur) which alternates between zerg combat and sneakiness.  Plus khaine blowing everyone up is just too fun.  Phoenix Gate is solid with various strategies possible and lots of flanking/sneaking about.  Plus you get to shoot ballistas at people if you so choose.

[rattran]

Regardless of class, I've found the only possible way to win STC is to take the pacifier myself. Then run to whichever side DOESN'T have a huge pile of destro. Everyone else I've seen pick it up just dicks about.

I mean, we had one scenario where the guy wouldn't leave the top of the hill, and when he got booted off ran BACK UP.

[Sobelius]

I grabbed the flag in STC during one run last night and got to all three locations with barely any opposition. I was kinda shocked -- the flag had reset and I expected to find a battle raging on the hill yet no one was up there. So I took it and ran. As a BW, I thought I would get pwned, but 2 other players escorted me and we must have just been in the right places at the right times...or maybe the destros had just given up by that point? We won 500 to 132 or some such.

After any scenario I always compare order to destro levels and classes. Almost always, winning side had more higher level toons than losing side, and almost always had more tanks. Not always though. I've seen some battles really boil down to which side did a better job of capturing objectives. Those matches have always been the most fun for me -- win or lose.

[Kail]

Personally, my favorite is Nordenwatch, because I get good framerates on that one.  Ekrund always stutters around the gate flag.  Mourkain just fucking dies; my comp hangs for like ten seconds the first time I round that corner by the temple and clap eyes on the zerg.

Stonetroll crossing isn't too bad, but I have no damn idea how to win it.  It seems to depend about 99% on one guy knowing his shit, running around scoring points, and everyone else wondering where he is and randomly deathmatching.

Wrath of Khaine I would probably like more if I didn't always seem to get stuck with the worst team imaginable.  It's always a blowout defeat for us, and while I'd love to blame it on Chaos being OP or something (stealth does seem to be useful there, for once), I can't help but notice the number of times I'm standing on the Swords flag by my lonesome staring at seven or eight enemy players.

[rk47]

I hate the following:
1. Mount in map. Fuck that shit. Seriously fuck that crap. When you're in T2 and not all have access to a mount on the murder ball map, how the hell can you balance it? The other side always gets there first unless they're retarded.
2. Remove the damn bomb carrier icon on the map please. It's retarded. It's like playing Counterstrike but always knowing where the enemy bomb carrier is. Fuck, there's only ONE bombsite to go to, so turning the map into a deadlock is so easy: Camp the bombsite, ignore the bomb.
3. Do a re-check on every fucking murderball scenarios on EVERY SIDE RUNNING DISTANCE. I felt frustrated cause no matter how fast we are in Tor Anlec, unless Destro is not that good at running we always never get to the ball first.

[rattran]

Oddly on our server I have never seen Destro NOT get the ball in Tor Anloc first. Even using charge/sprint/charge I can't get there first. And I'm not high enough wounds to do the lava skip route and live.

Hell the last time, they had the ball and had all their tanks on our side of the hill headed down by the time order got there.

[Triforcer]

Oddly on our server I have never seen Destro NOT get the ball in Tor Anloc first. Even using charge/sprint/charge I can't get there first. And I'm not high enough wounds to do the lava skip route and live.

Hell the last time, they had the ball and had all their tanks on our side of the hill headed down by the time order got there.

Long thread on WHA about this.  Consensus seems to be unless Order has a White Lion doing some crazy shit, Destruction has a noticeably shorter path to the ball. 

[Kirth]

Twice I've seen order get the ball first, once was a WL doing crazy shit and once was a group with a banner.

[Evil Elvis]

I've seen Order get the orb first quite a few times, but it's almost always by a WL using charge.  In the games I've played, Destruction's won around 35-40%, even though we usually get the Orb first around 80% of the time.  Part of the discrepancy is due to being rolled by guilds, but some of its from class balance (bw+ironbreaker being better than sorc+orc), and also due to the Order having much more potent knockbacks.

I'm fine with Destruction having a shorter distance, and Order having better knockbacks.  Put a 6-7 second pickup timer on the orb, put a permanent snare on the carrier, cut the damage done by lava in half, and remove whatever the hell snare/root that walking in lava seems to sometimes cause.